 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Barbie and the Diamond Castle
- Review Date: September 19, 2008
- NR
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2008
Common Sense Media says
Charming friendship tale ties into lots of toys.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that even though this DVD is clearly meant to sell more toys in the Barbie brand (the dolls, the carriage, and the castle can be purchased), it does have enough substance and skilled performances to engage a varied audience. Younger children may not understand the history of the muses, though the over-arching themes of friendship, connection, and harmony are meant for all ages.
What's the story?
BARBIE AND THE DIAMOND CASTLE is a story within a story. When Stacy (voiced by Stacie Chantal Strand) is having a fight with another friend, Barbie (Kelly Sheridan) and Teresa (Cassidy Ladden) tell her a story of a magical land, where two friends are confronted by a wayward muse who seeks to destroy all music but her own. In this land Barbie becomes Liana, and Teresa turns into a character called Alexa. They meet a girl trapped in a magical mirror who asks for their help getting back to the Diamond Castle, so that she can rescue the muses turned to stone by the malcontent muse Lydia (Kathleen Barr). The girls face hunger and loss of their home, they are tempted by promises, and their loyalties are tested.
Is it any good?
Music is a central theme of this film, and it gilds the plot in a surprising aura of skillfully crafted songs. The general score, performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, is not cloying or overt, but rather serves to emphasize the theme of harmony among friends. Very young girls in particular will want to "play" Alexa and Lianna after they've seen the movie (and Mattel is happy to supply them with dolls and set pieces, of course).
Overall this is a mild film, which has a drifty ambience that may surprise adults with its watch-ability. The performances are not shrill, nor are the characters syrupy sweet or randomly evil. They seem actually rather innocent and self-effacing. And their tale is one with plenty of lessons. Connection and friendship are touted as being more important than having excess food, a closet full of clothes, or a bigger house. And loyalty trumps everything. Barbie says: "Real friends care even when you make a mistake." And she seems to mean it in this movie.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about friendship and what it means to be connected. Have you ever invited a new friend into your circle of old friends? Have your friendships ever been tested? Why did Alexa decide to stay in the mansion when she knew she was breaking her promise to Melody and Liana? Why are friends important, and how are they different than family? How are they similar?
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AGE
Great movie
Love it! Great music, great movie.
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AGE
Beware! Scary Parts!
There is a scene when a fire burns down the 2 main characters' house, there is a bad guy dragon and scary "witch-like" character. My 4 year old was fine, but her 4 y.o. friend was NOT. She was scared.
The music and singing are great though.
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AGE
B A D P E O P L E A N D T H E Y A R E E V I L !!!!!!
THEY HATE EACH OTHER!!!!!!
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AGE
Scary witch and her minion scared my daughter, sexual undertones scared me
My 3 year old daughter was incredibly scared by the flying creature the witch has chasing the girls. And thought it says no sexy stuff there is some pretty non-subtle hints of things such as one night stands. (The girls get a job singing at a "pub" where the "barmaids" attack the two minstrels the girls fall in with because they never returned after "that night" or something along those lines - it was pretty obvious to me, though I know a young child wouldn't understand what was going on - I just don't think that kind of behaviour should be viewed by kids anyway
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AGE
Good music and parents will probably enjoy this, too.
My kids like this movie and so do we. It is one of the best Barbie movies of the ones we have seen. It has great music and songs. We liked the music so much that we even bought the soundtrack. If your kids are sensitive to scary things, it might not work for them, though.
It does have plenty of female characters who actually talk to each other! The two main characters are best friends and the movie is a good example of friendship. They also help out another girl.
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AGE
Might be scary for some
We rented this and I naively thought that a Barbie movie would be safe for my kids to watch, at least in terms of not scaring them. I was wrong, and we ended up turning it off halfway through because my kids (3.5yo and 5.5yo) were both crying and telling me they didn't want to watch anymore. And they consider movies to be really fun treats, so this is really saying something.
There's a scene where the girls' house burns down, and several scenes with a scary villain and her dragon. I think it was the dragon that put my kids over the edge.
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AGE
lovely!
I love this film! Overall I didn't really like the 'friendship' plot. But I still liked it. The dogs were cute, but irritating. A great film for young girls. I'm 19 and me and My mother love all the films (not the current ones like 'Fairy Secret' though).. No problems in this film.
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AGE
Barbie series is fabulous with great messages for little girls (age two and up)
My daughter (and all the girls at her preschool) all have seen the barbie series and talk about them endlessly. There is a silly, scary dragon in Diamond Castle but for the most part it is not a "scary" movie. My daughter scares easily but loves this movie. She started with the series at age 2 1/2 or so. I would recommend all of the barbie series except the nutcracker (weird and scary). Little girls love this series. For the record, I was NOT a big Barbie fan prior to seeing any of these dvds.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, princesses and fairies |
| Studio: | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| Directors: | Gino Nichele, Jeffrey Nachmanoff |
| Cast: | Cassidy Ladden, Kelly Sheridan, Maryke Hendrikse |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 79 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 9, 2008 |
| DVD release date: | September 9, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
| MPAA explanation: | Not Rated |
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